[DivineCurrent]

Alright, since I'm up early, today's poll is: What do you value most from headphones? Your answer can be anything, but just to give you a few ideas: Comfort, Clarity, Detail, Vocals, Strings, Mids, Bass, Highs, Price, Accessibility, Cable Connections, Portability, Noise Isolation, Quality, etc.

For me it's the entire mid-range, but with some really good bass and non-fatiguing highs that I can still hear. Oh, and comfort. All of that should come with a reasonable price

I value "naturalness" "realism", whatever you can define those things as. Getting the timbre and the tone correct is something I value above anything else. This is why I love the Sennheiser HD600 series so much, they are renowned for the midrange and treble timbre that not even most multi-thousand dollar headphones can quite replicate. Right now for me it's the HD660S2 that is getting the most listening time.

Dynamics, resolution/detail, imaging, and overall having an immersive experience, those all come in second place. I love the Focal Clear MG for these reasons, as it can properly render huge dynamic swings that recordings call for, while at the same time having excellent resolution and imaging. It's very close to what I would expect a great high end pair of headphones to sound like. With a bit of EQ, they can get close to the Sennheiser headphones for natural timbre.

Alright, today's poll:
If money was no object, what headphones would you buy on the spot today?

My answer: Hifiman Shangri-la Jr., DCA Corina, ZMF Caldera, Stax SR-X9000/SR-007, DCA E3, and the Modhouse Tungsten

I would get:

Focal Utopia 2022
Hifiman HE-6 (original)
ZMF Caldera
ZMF Verite Open
Modhouse Tungsten
Sennheiser HD800S

And a few closed backs like the DCA E3 and Focal Stellia.
Then I'd probably get a speaker amp for the Tungsten and HE-6

I've only heard the Utopia and 800S from this list, but I expect the rest to be amazing based off impressions.

 

[HiFiWar]

Alright, today's poll, and one that I'm sure a lot of people will find helpful, is: What headphones would you recommend to someone looking for the best price/performance? Also known as "Giant-killers," which is a term most people hate, or "punching above their weight." Whatever you want to call them, everyone has a set they believe performs way above what they cost and that's the best way to get people into this hobby, excellent headphones at good prices.

My contribution here:
JM Audio XTC Open (probably any version, but I've only owned the v1s)
Hifiman Ananda Nano

Possible options I haven't heard yet: Modhouse Tungsten, Nectar HiveX, SASH Tres, Hifiman Sundara
I also have quite a few IEM options for this, but that'd be a different thread

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

So cool. Just found this thread. Good luck with it. I will post.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Alright, today's poll:
If money was no object, what headphones would you buy on the spot today?

My answer: Hifiman Shangri-la Jr., DCA Corina, ZMF Caldera, Stax SR-X9000/SR-007, DCA E3, and the Modhouse Tungsten

Shangri la Sr + Grand Cayman amp.

 

[HiFiWar]

So cool. Just found this thread. Good luck with it. I will post.

Cheers! Thanks! Good to see you here - I figured you mostly as an IEM guy.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Cheers! Thanks! Good to see you here - I figured you mostly as an IEM guy.

I am pretty big into headphones. I just don't post on headfi much on headphones and desktop systems.

My favorites are:

1. Susvara
2. X9000
3. Caldera

 

[HiFiWar]

I am pretty big into headphones. I just don't post on headfi much on headphones and desktop systems.

My favorites are:

1. Susvara
2. X9000
3. Caldera

That's a good set of favorites - or literally my wishlist of headphones I'd love to hear haha. Feel free to post anything you like here about headphones. It'll take a while to recreate the Watercooler for full-size, but the more people that post here the better.

 

[Monsterzero]

What headphones would you recommend to someone looking for the best price/performance? Also known as "Giant-killers," which is a term most people hate, or "punching above their weight."

1K and above: ZMF Auteur classics
1K and below: AKG K240 sextetts or Sennheiser HD250 Linear 1 (not the current HD250)

 

[ScornDefeat]

Alright, today's poll, and one that I'm sure a lot of people will find helpful, is: What headphones would you recommend to someone looking for the best price/performance?

Headphones: ZMF Auteur (or Beyer T1.2 for a lower budget)
Amp: Bottlehead Crack
DAC: Soekris DAC2541

The above set-up, at used value, can run you around $2,000-2,500 and be damn-near end game for those who value tonality and an organic presentation over technicalities.

 

[Thomasr]

What headphones would you recommend to someone looking for the best price/performance?

Beyerdynamic DT-880 600ohm. I've seen (and bought!) them as low as CAD$140. They sound great on a decent amp, and scale up from there.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Headphones: ZMF Auteur (or Beyer T1.2 for a lower budget)
Amp: Bottlehead Crack
DAC: Soekris DAC2541

The above set-up, at used value, can run you around $2,000-2,500 and be damn-near end game for those who value tonality and an organic presentation over technicalities.

I bought a Bottlehead Crack as my first tube amp to drive HD650, then I got Verite Closed and DAC was Bifrost 2. Still have it today. Loved it very much.

Since that time, I upgraded everything. My favorite OTL setup is

ZMF Atrium Open and Closed
Decware OTL
Chord TT2 with Mscaler.

Absolutely subliminal tonality. I want to pick up an Auteur Classic as well. Been waiting for the right opportunity. I have Caldera, Verite Closed, Atrium Open and Closed.

 

[Monsterzero]

I bought a Bottlehead Crack as my first tube amp to drive HD650, then I got Verite Closed and DAC was Bifrost 2. Still have it today. Loved it very much.

Since that time, I upgraded everything. My favorite OTL setup is

ZMF Atrium Open and Closed
Decware OTL
Chord TT2 with Mscaler.

Absolutely subliminal tonality. I want to pick up an Auteur Classic as well. Been waiting for the right opportunity. I have Caldera, Verite Closed, Atrium Open and Closed.

The Auteur classic is pretty close to the Atrium open in most regards. If you already have the Atrium open, I'm not sure you would find much headtime for the classic.
If you want something different, Atrium closed is where its at!

EDIT: Nevermind, you already have the Atrium closed!

 

[Philimon]

Alright, today's poll, and one that I'm sure a lot of people will find helpful, is: What headphones would you recommend to someone looking for the best price/performance? Also known as "Giant-killers," which is a term most people hate, or "punching above their weight." Whatever you want to call them, everyone has a set they believe performs way above what they cost and that's the best way to get people into this hobby, excellent headphones at good prices.

I dont see such headphones as punching above their weight but I see them as setting the bar. And if they slay giants then the giants are poor value or more niche.

The usual suspects that have been around forever I recommend because they are common reference headphones from which to judge others aka bar setting.
From there you can branch out though I would recommend not selling any of these classic headphones because they will always be a reference / compass to make sure youre not travelling in circles as you explore other headphones.

 

[DivineCurrent]

Alright, today's poll, and one that I'm sure a lot of people will find helpful, is: What headphones would you recommend to someone looking for the best price/performance? Also known as "Giant-killers," which is a term most people hate, or "punching above their weight." Whatever you want to call them, everyone has a set they believe performs way above what they cost and that's the best way to get people into this hobby, excellent headphones at good prices.

The Sundara would be my first pick probably, followed closely by the 6XX. Although I have replaced the Sundara with the HE-500 in my personal collection, I can't recommend the Sundara enough, it sounds like a $500-$700 headphone to me.
I'd also say the Focal Elex. Especially if you can get it on sale for $500. The Elex quite literally punches harder than anything in it's price class.

Another popular budget option I agree with is the Koss KSC75, with a headband swap and Yaxi pads. I use the KPH40 mostly nowadays, but the KSC75 with Yaxi pads for around $30, it puts many $100-$200 headphones to shame.

 

[HiFiWar]

Today's poll: Solid State, or Tubes, or both?

My Thoughts: My only experience with tubes is from the Cocktail Audio HA500H. The tubes added a little warmth when switching between the two, but it was so minor that I didn't come away with a strong preference towards either, so I would have to say solid-state based on convenience. We'll see if my new amp arriving today changes my mind on that.